1632, clearly indicates the fort standing on the riverís edge in an area
of cultivated flats. The moat which surrounds the fort on all but the east
side next to the river is visible. Specific plans for this fort are not
known to exist. This fort however was built on the same general plan as
numerous other Dutch facilities around the world.
Numerous data
sources provided the basis for this painting. Details were obtained from
the archeological findings uncovered by Paul Huey for the New York State
Historical Trust in a partial excavation of the Fort Orange site in 1970.
Additional material was gathered from studies of similar Dutch installations
in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Seventeenth century Dutch
paintings and drawings provided much of the information pertaining to building
details, ship construction and rigging, clothing, and various site embellishments.
Many hours of consultation with historians from different disciplines brought
all the pieces together into a coherent form.